The Kia Stinger GTS: A limited edition designed for enthusiasts

Kia has gotten into the habit of shocking the world. In a good way. A very good way. We were shocked when Kia hired master performance car engineer Albert Biermann away from BMW’s M Division back in 2014. Then just last year, seemingly out of nowhere, the brand redefined the entire sport sedan class. It introduced the incredible Kia Stinger and 365-hp Kia Stinger GT—two turbocharged rear-wheel-drive sport sedans with optional all-wheel drive and performance figures strong enough to embarrass their more expensive German rivals.

But Kia wasn’t satisfied. With the brand now securely on the radar of America’s driving enthusiasts, it wanted to take its high-performance sedan to another level. It wanted to create a new performance flagship with the driving dynamics, technology and visual impact to redefine the sport sedan class once again.

It unleashed Biermann, now Kia’s head of research and development, and his team of engineers—the result is the limited-edition 2019 Stinger GTS. Featuring a new drift mode on all-wheel-drive-equipped variants that allows up to 100 percent of its 365 hp to be sent to the rear tires, the sedan didn’t just wow the crowd when it was unveiled at this year’s New York auto show, it shocked the world.

Over the last 24 hours we’ve been driving an AWD Stinger GTS1 through the vast expanse of southwest Texas, enjoying its high levels of comfort, awesome high-speed stability and intoxicating power. On the faster sections of the region’s twisty two-lanes, including Texas State Highway 118, just outside the quaint historic town of Fort Davis, we appreciate its well-balanced chassis and the stopping power of its massive Brembo four-wheel disc brakes. We can also feel the advantages of its new all-wheel-drive system2.

But to really explore the lofty dynamics of this high-performance machine, you need a closed course. So we’ve come to the Nine Mile Training Center, a massive automotive testing facility near Fort Stockton. On its 8,000 acres is a 9-mile banked circle for top-speed testing and several fast road courses and skid pads.

Equipped with the mechanical limited-slip rear differential from the standard rear-wheel-drive model, this new version of the Stinger’s available all-wheel-drive system has been dubbed D-AWD. Only available on the Stinger GTS, it provides all-weather traction and stability yet offers rear-wheel drive-like dynamics for tire-smoking action.

Every Stinger GTS gets a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters and the same smooth and responsive twin-turbo V6 that’s under the hood of the Stinger GT. With 3.3 liters, the all-aluminum engine is large for this class and produces big power: 365 hp at 6,000 rpm and 376 lb-ft of torque at just 1,300 rpm.

That’s considerably more grunt than you get in BMW’s 2019 440i Gran Coupe or Audi’s 2019 S5 Sportback, and the Stinger GTS is quicker to 60 mph than Porsche’s 2019 330-hp Panamera models. Using its Launch Control feature, it accelerates to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds with a throaty roar bellowing from its four chrome exhaust pipes.

Out on the circular high-speed banking, we scroll through the Stinger GTS’ five driving modes with the sizable knob on its console. The system offers comfort, eco and sport modes. There’s also a custom mode that allows you to mix and match your favorite characteristics for the engine and transmission, steering effort and suspension.

We dial in sport mode, which adds a bit of weight to the sedan’s steering and firms up its four-wheel independent suspension. At high rates of speed, it soaks up the track’s rough surface without disrupting the driver’s confidence or the grip of its massive 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport summer tires.

Each mode also retunes the all-wheel-drive system to help improve performance and enhance the dynamics of the Stinger’s athletic rear-wheel-drive chassis. In comfort mode, up to 60 percent of the engine’s power is sent to the rear differential; that number jumps to 80 percent in sport mode.

Those numbers are radically more aggressive than the power mix of the all-wheel-drive system used in the Stinger GT, and the difference can be felt as the Stinger GTS hustles down a tight, twisty track. There’s more pace, with higher entry speeds, and it feels more like a rear-wheel-drive sedan with sharper, crisper chassis response when you get back on the power.

We pick up the pace, enjoying the sedan’s impressive steering feel and incredibly stiff chassis. It feels locked down to the track surface. Its governed top speed of 167 mph is also faster than the Porsche, the BMW and the Audi.

In its new drift mode, the Stinger GTS with AWD can behave like a pure rear-wheel-drive machine. A skilled driver can now roast the Stinger’s sticky 19-inch Michelin summer tires around corners at will. It isn’t the quick way around the road course, but, man, is it fun.

On AWD models, engaging sport mode and disabling the Stinger GTS’ stability and traction control systems activates drift mode and sends between 83 percent and 100 percent of the engine’s power to its rear tires. It also reprograms its eight-speed automatic transmission to hold gears without upshifting. The technology adds the Stinger GTS to a short list of all-wheel-drive sports sedans with the ability to behave like a rear-wheel-drive car.

To back up its additional performance, Kia has also given the Stinger GTS the visual impact it deserves. Every Stinger GTS will be painted the exclusive color of Federation orange and wear distinctive carbon-fiber trim around the signature tiger nose grille, mirrors and sizable side vents, which help cool its front Brembo brakes. Exclusive badging is also part of the package. For a custom appearance, a center-mounted Stinger badge replaces the Kia logo on its decklid.

Inside, exclusive premium appointments richen the feel of its cabin. A suede-like headliner is standard, along with a steering wheel and shifter covered in Alcantara. Its seats are firm, but comfortable, and well-bolstered, so they hold you in place when you’re enjoying the car’s performance. And the driving position is perfect. You sit low in the Stinger, like it’s a sports car, and look out over its long orange hood.

With its 114.6-inch wheelbase, the Stinger GTS also offers one of the largest rear seats in its class, and it’s a hatchback with a massive amount of cargo space. Fold its rear seat flat and there’s a lot of storage space.

Wireless phone charging3 is standard, along with a sunroof and a 720-watt Harman Kardon premium audio system with QuantumLogic and Clari-Fi signal-enhancing technology. Every Stinger GTS also gets Blind Spot Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning as standard equipment.

And then there’s the price, which is just as shocking as the performance. Again, in a good way. A very good way. With the optional D-AWD system, the Stinger GTS has a base MSRP of about $46,500, just $2,500 more than the rear-wheel-drive model. That puts Kia’s ultimate sport sedan among the great high-performance values of our time. Owners lucky enough to get their hands on one will be part of an exclusive club. Only 800 will be built.

Disclaimers:

2019 Kia Stinger GTS prototype with optional D-AWD shown with optional features. Not all optional features are available on all trims. Some features may vary. Expected late August 2019 in very limited quantities.

No system, no matter how advanced, can compensate for all driver error and/or driving conditions. Always drive safely.

Charging system only works with select devices. Refer to the vehicle’s owner’s manual for warnings and instructions.

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